How it Came to Be: Breathe
by kiwanisgirl
Summary: Hermione has been sad for long enough, or so Harry thinks. Now is the time to show her what she has missed.  Part of the one-shot series for "How it Came to Be"  Based on the song "Breathe" by Ryan Star


March 3, 1999

_She's fine, most of the time,  
>She takes her days with a smile,<br>She moves like, a dancer in lights,  
>Spinning around to sound,<br>But sometimes she falls down._

"FUCK!" Harry Potter swore at the top of his lungs. Sounds of stomping and objects being thrown around at the top level of the house. Several levels lower, on the second floor in the second room on the right a scream could be heard, either made from shock or a bad dream.

Loud thumping resounded as Harry stormed down to the bedroom in question. The portraits were yelling and questioning what the fuss could possibly be about.

"Wake up!" Harry hollered as he threw the bedroom door open. The inhabitant sat up directly and immediatly began to hold her head. The room was pitch black with large drapes covering the windows and no lamps were turned on.

"Harry? What are you doing?" A forced whisper asked from the bed. Hermione rubbed her eyes and pushed her large comforter out of the way. Harry ignored her questions and threw the drapes open, allowing the bright morning sun to sweep in through the room.

"Do not question me, Hermione Jean Granger, go take a damn shower and clean yourself up. You've been moping for months about everything possible. Everything. So clean yourself up and get into clean clothes." He threw her a look and walked towards the closet to grab her robe and a clean pair of clothing.

"Harry, please, just let me rest some more. I am so ti-"

"Fucking go already Hermione. Now." And she went.

_Breathe, just breathe,  
>Take the world off your shoulders,<br>and put it on me,  
>Breathe, just breathe,<br>Let the life that you live be all you need._

_**A couple hours later**_

"Bonjour, mon nom est Isabel. Comment puis-je vous aider?"

"Bonjour," Harry replied, smiling at the young waitress. "Deux salades et deux eaux s'il vous plaît." Isabel nodded and walked away quickley with their order. Hermione finally took a chance to look around at where they were and her eyes widened in shock. Harry had brought her to Paris - one of the places that she had always wanted to take the time to visit. It was beautiful out, she could see the Arc de Triomphe down the block and the point of the Eiffel Tower was visible just over the tops of buildings.

"Harry," she whispered, "It's beautful here. Simply gorgeous." She smiled at him, for the first time in who knows how long. The streets looked pure, even though she knew that was only because the light was hitting them just right. The windows glinted and it made a lovely glow in the air. It was chilly out, but not to the point of shivering cold.

Harry glanced over at Hermione and noticed her smile. It was perfectly happy and especially real. Her long, curly hair lay in a bundle over her shoulder. Her sweater just barely covered right shoulder. But, the most breathtaking part was her eyes. They shown with a light that Harry had thought was lost years ago. He wasn't even sure if he had ever seen it. It was beautiful. He was pulled out of his thought process when Isabel stopped by to drop off their salads and water.

_She likes New York at night,  
>She dreams of running away,<br>Shine on, bright like the sun,  
>When even the sky turns grey,<br>I need you to hear me say,  
>I need you to hear me say.<em>

An hour later the couple could be found laying in the grass near the Eiffel Tower. The sun was setting over the great city of Paris and Hermione was resting with her head on her arm and Harry sat watching the sky.

"Harry," she started slowly. "I'm sorry..." Her voice cracked and she wiped her eyes quickley before rolling to face him. "I'm so sorry for acting weak when you needed someone to be strong for you. I've acted completely immature and like a total fool. It really has been so stupid of me. I apologize greatly and will make it up to you anyway I can." Hermione stopped talking let out a heavy breath. Harry turned away from the view to find an entirely different before him. Beautiful Hermione with her pouty red lips, watery brown eyes, and flush cheeks. He wanted to pull her in and kiss her softly, like he always dreamed of doing. But he couldn't, not right now.

_Let go of the fear, let go of the doubt,  
>Let go of the ones who try to bring you down,<br>You're gonna be fine, don't hold it inside,  
>And if you hurt right now,<br>Then let it all come out._

"Hermione, love, please listen to me. Hear me out before you try to over-analyze this anymore. You are the strongest, most brave woman that I have ever met in my life. You're caring and helpful. You never allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of what you are going after. Hermione, you are so amazing, and I cannot even begin to thank you in the way that you deserve. You sent your mother and father to Australia, allowing them to believe they had no daughter, and you've yet to go after them. You spent six long months with me when you could have been hiding in Australia with your family. Then, you fought in a long, drawn out battle where many of our friends and classmates died or were seriously injured. You made it out with scarcely any scratches or injuries. Then, weeks later we lost our best friend to some no good Death Eater and you didn't even cry at the funeral. Hermione, you are the strongest most incredible woman that I will ever meet and you deserve to have a time where you aren't the strongest one in the room. Even when you're crying, down and out, you're still the bravest person I know." He finished and sighed, staring deep into her eyes and noticing the caramel-like swirls that mixed into the chocolate brown depths.

"Oh Harry..." she cried, tears finally flowing down her cheeks, sobs racking her body. It was an unbearable sight to see. Her, in such an increbile amount of pain. He was glad he was there for her, but to know that it was his life that had caused all of this trouble was almost enough to make him walk away and let her heal. Yet, he knew that there was no way that he could ever leave her.

"I'm always here, Hermione, always for you..."

_Breathe, just breathe,  
>Take the world off your shoulders,<br>and put it on me,  
>Breathe, just breathe,<br>Let the life that you live be all you need._


End file.
